The Editorial Page: Attacks on energy infra bring war closer home 12 FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026 JOuRNALISM of COuRAgE NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES ₹7.00 (₹8 RAIPUR, ₹15 SRINAGAR) l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , J A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , vA D O DA R A Happening today lCOMMERCE MINISTRyto release February production data for India’s 8 core industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, cement, steel and electricity. In January, production was up 4% year-on-year. TRACK THESE AND MORE ON www.INDIANExPrEss.cOm NATION TARGETS HUBS IN QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, KUWAIT, UAE, ISRAEL Iran strikes Gulf energy facilities, shock waves hit global economy Market tanks over 3% as crude surges, HDFC Bank tumbles Israel will not attack Iranian gas field again, says Trump Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Mike Corder & Natalie Melzer First time, rupee breaches the 93-mark IRAN INTENSIFIED its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that issendingshockwavesthrough the global economy. Thestrikes,inretaliationfor an Israeli attack on South Pars, a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel pricessoaringand riskeddrawing Iran’s Arab neighbours directly into the conflict. Underscoring the danger to ships in the region, a vessel was set ablaze off the coast of the UAE and another damaged off Qatar. Efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz were also under pressure: An Iranian drone hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, which the country hadbeenhopingtouseasanalternative exit route. Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly surged above $119 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the US started the war. The European benchmark for natural THE BENCHMARK stock indices crashed over 3% Thursday to their lowest levels since February 16, 2024 as the war in West Asia escalated, sending crude prices above $110 a barrel. With this, the benchmark indiceswashedoutthenear3% Akash Mandal Dubai, March 19 mUSt bEComE SELf-rELIANt IN mAkINg droNES: rAjNAth pAgE 7 sPOrT bhUbANESwAr to hoSt 2028 worLd INdoor AthLEtICS pAgE 19 business as Usual By EP UNNY »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai, March 19 gain they had notched up over the last three days. Thiswasthesteepestsingleday fall for the market since June 4, 2024 when voting trends during the Lok Sabha elections had shown an unexpectedlynarrowwinfortheBJP. Shares of HDFC Bank crashed after its chairman No power struggle or governance issue: HDFC Bank’s Mistry after Chairman quits RBI: No concerns on governance or conduct, board professionally-run George Mathew & Siddharth Upasani Mumbai, New Delhi, March 19 A DAY after HDFC Bank parttime chairman Atanu Chakraborty quit, the bank’s interim chairman Keki Mistry Thursday said there had been no powerstrugglewithinthebank, only clothes on their backs Purnima Sah Mumbai, March 19 Iranian missiles targeted Israel’s Haifa oil refinery, Thursday. REUTERS; RAS LAFFAN ATTACK DEEPENS INDIA’S WORRIES OVER LNG, ExpLAINEd, pAgE 9 EIGHT INDIAN seafarers who survivedtheMarch1missileattack on the oil tanker Skylight near Oman’s Khasab port returnedtoMumbaiaround1pm Wednesday, but now face uncertainty over documentation, compensation and their journey back home. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Drishti Jain Noida, March 19 l INDIA:sTrIkEs uNAccEPTAblE Amid concerns following attacks on West Asian gas hubs, India Thursday said the strikes are “unacceptable and need to cease”. PM Narendra Modi spoke to leaders of Qatar, Oman, France, Jordan and Malaysia, calling for urgent restoration of peace. P6 TWO POLICE officers in Noida have been suspended and a preliminary inquiry has been initiated against a third senior officer for not invoking the Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion Act and the SC/ST Act in a case registered Tuesday. “Duetothenon-inclusionof these relevant sections, an explanation has been sought not democratic principles,”Banerjeesaidin a post on social media, IN AN all-out attack on adding that “Bengal the Election Commiswill fight, Bengal will DECISION sion (EC) and the BJP resist and Bengal will 2026 ahead of the Assembly decisively defeat every WEST elections next month, attempt to impose a BENGAL West Bengal Chief Mindivisive and destrucister Mamata Banerjee Thurs- tive agenda on its soil”. dayallegeda“deliberatedesign AccusingtheECof“singling to seize control” of the State out and targeting” the State, “through coercion and institu»CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 tional manipulation”. “What we are witnessing is EC powEr to nothing short of an undeclared trANSfEr Emergency and an unpromuloffICIALS gated form of President’s Rule pAgE 9 driven by political vendetta, Kolkata, March 19 E. Shunted out, had to plead for LS seat: Bordoloi on why he quit Cong ExPrEss Liz Mathew interview PRADYUTBORDOLOIisoneof the most high-profile political leaderstohaveswitchedparties in Assam in this election season. A day after he joined the BJP, the veteran Congress leader and Nagaon MP was fieldedfromtheDispurAssembly constituency Thursday. In an interview with PRADyUT BORDOLOI BJP CANDIDATE FROM DISPUR The Indian Express, Bordoloi spoke about why he resigned from the Congress. Excerpts: Your first election contest was from the Margherita Assembly seat in Tinsukia in 1998 on a Congress ticket. Why did you end your long association with the party? MyassociationwiththeCongress is longer. I was 16 when I »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 POlITIcs pAgES 7, 8 dorAISwAmI to bE INdIA’S NEw ENvoy to ChINA gUjArAt to wIdEN AmbIt of dIStUrbEd ArEAS ACt l VICE ADMIRAL WRITES TO SPORTS SECRETARY; BOXING FEDERATION OF INDIA DEFENDS PROCESS Top Navy officer takes a jab at selection of Army boxers for Asian Championships Shashank Nair from Rajasthan, not from the defenceservices.TheNavy’sHiteshGulialostouttotheArmy’s A SENIOR Navy officer has Deepak in the 70-kg category. questioned the selection of an In a letter to Secretary ArmyboxerovertheNavy’spu- (Sports)HariRanjanRao,aVice gilist in the Indian Admiral in charge of PAGE 1 squad for the uppersonnel-related coming Asian matters has alleged Championships in that the selection Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. committee appointed by the The 10-member squad for Boxing Federation of India the March 28-April 11 Asian (BFI) had two members from meet includes nine Army the “same organisation whose boxers — the tenth is a boxer athletes were competing for se- »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 For not invoking UP ‘It feels like a second birth’: anti-conversion law, 2 Eight seafarers return with Noida cops suspended Atri Mitra New Delhi, March 19 and no discussion regarding governancewithintheboardof directors. Stating that the board was united,Mistrysaidithadnotwitnessed “any kind of complete difference in opinion” in its »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Design to seize control of Bengal: Mamata hits out at EC, BJP over spate of transfers TMC campaigns for party chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata, Thursday. PTI Interim Chairman Keki Mistry New Delhi, March 19 anchor Hitesh Gulia will not be travelling to the Asian Boxing meet later this month. BFI lection”, thus raising concerns about “conflict of interest” and “perceived lack of neutrality”. The letter states that Gulia had got the better of Deepak at lastyear’sInter-ServicesChampionshipaswellasthe2026Nationals. “Despite this demonstrated superiority and international medal record, Gulia has been placed below Deepak,” writes the Vice Admiral. Expressing concern about the BFI’s »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 New Delhi from DCP Central Noida, Shakti Mohan Awasthi, and a preliminary inquiry has been initiated against ACP-1 Central Noida, Umesh Yadav. The Station In-charge of Phase-3, PuneetKumar,andtheInvestigating Officer (Sub-Inspector) Preeti Gupta have been suspendedwithimmediateeffect,” a senior police officer said. The police officers had allegedly failed to invoke Section »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2